Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-15
SHEOL In NO MANS land.
The Public Land Strip 0verrun With
Thieves and Rustlers--Murders
of Daily Occurrence
A 6enersi Demand fer Congress to-
Place the Public Land Strip Under
State or Federal Surveillance.
Catsie KILLED for Their Hides-The Early
Days of California Revivsd-spsci.
mon Cases of Crines
Correspondence of tn Gazet.e.

Correspondence of tn Gazette
MOBKKTIH, Tx, Dec. ia stocknax
from Hsnsford county is here to End out
what protection if any can be invoked
from the federal or state authorities
against the sggressions of q band of
thieves and rustlers who are operating In
the Neutral Strip. The state of Affairs
existing along the snorthern border Of
Texas, as reported by him. is most
peculiar and deplorsble. Cattle which
drift across the line Into the Strip are
killed for their hides or q choice piece of
stesk by the rustlers and their carcasses
are strewn
THICK UPON THE PRAIRIES
like those Of the buffalo some years ago.
The offenders are well known, But the
strip being absolutely without law and,
under the Jurisdiction of neither the state
nor Federal government. they are in
solent and defiant. A few days
ago one of them, in response
to warning to cease his misdoings sent
word to the cattlemen that they ought to
arrest him il they could. The csttlemen
along the border are very much worked
up over the situation and say that unless
Congress does something speedily,
they will be compelled to take
the law into their own hands
The only form OF court existing
in the strip Il vigilance committee,
winch seems utterly powerleSs to cope
WITH THE LAWLEss ELEMENTS,
which on account OF the shelter II offers
to criminals. have flocked in there from
all qusrters. Murders are almost Of
daily occurrence, and the murderer, il
he is dangerous character and has
friends, goes scot free. The report
Of horrible tragedy comes through
some stockmen who drove to market
through the strip short time ago. Five
men killed boy, a sheepherder, who, it
seems, was suspected of stealing sheep.
They demonstrated to the satisfaction of
the vigilance committee that the deed
was done IN self-defense, and after an
scquittal
LTNCHED TWO MEN AND WOMAN,
the Esther and mother of the boy and
party living with them A tew weeks
ago man Who had established claim
and built g dug-out made q trip out
of the Strip, and on returning found
an occupant in his dug-out who
refused to give it up. An alteration en-
sued, the result of which was that the
usurping occupant was killed. His s.ayer
retreated to the dug-out of friend, and
when the vigilance committee came after
him was so we'll intrenched that they had
to retreat without him. These are speci-
men cases OF crimes which are of ordin-
airy occurrence.
The reports which reach the press from
the strip are
FEW AND MEAGRE,
and thus the public has been left in the
dark as 10 the actual condition Of affairs.
Settlers are filing it up very fast, and
with the assistance OF the Federal author
tiles they would soon be able to
rid it of the rustlers. The law-abid-'
ing elements are looking anx-
iously forward to some action by
Congress at Its present term. Ii they
should be disappointed there is q strong
probability that the early days of Califor-
mia will be revived by concerted action of
the law abiding elements.